BLACK ROCK DESERT, NV--Going to Burning Man this year? If so, expect to have a first look at two new sculptures by Laura Kimpton, one which will travel to Miami later this year. The California-based artist has been creating installations for Burning Man for 10 years, which is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. Want to see her art and others and the festival at large? You're in luck: Burning Man 2016 is being live streamed and can be viewed by clicking here. Burning Man festival takes place from August 28 to September 5, 2016 in Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
@EARTH#HOME and Magic, the two new works by artist Laura Kimpton, are both part of Kimpton’s Monumental Word Series, are now currently installed on the Playa, Black Rock’s dry desert lake. The 12’x4’x6’ letters and symbols are made of industrial steel with Kimpton’s signature bird cutouts.
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"Magic" by Laura Kimpton, 2016. Photo by Peter Ruprecht.
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@EARTH#HOME is a not-so-subtle statement to festival goers that Earth is their home and that the return of Burning Man is a homecoming. The words surround a tree from Kimpton’s Celtic Forest series forming a 150’ x 150’ square. Nightly flames will illuminate and purify the space and symbolize Arwen, a Celtic concept of enlightenment, inspiration, and total unification of polarities, according to Kimpton. The fire will also act as a beacon, issuing a calling for people to come together and connect inside of the installation.
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"@EARTH#HOME" by Laura Kimpton, 2016. Photos by Peter Ruprecht.
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"@EARTH#HOME" by Laura Kimpton, 2016. Photos by Peter Ruprecht.
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Kimpton’s Magic was commissioned for a development project called Magic City, in honor of Miami’s nickname, by Dragon Global private equity firm founder Bob Zangrillo and his business partner Tony Cho. After the sprawling Burning Man Festival closes, Magic will relocate to Miami to take its place in a sculpture garden among other Burning Man art.
Kimpton's work was first exhibited in Miami last year at the SLS South Beach Hotel. For "Myths, Words and Fire," Kimpton transformed the ground floor of the hotel from the street to the pool area with sculpture, video and paintings during Art Basel Miami Week. The installation was sponsored by art collectors Marc Bell and Marc Leder. To see art by Laura Kimpton, click here.
Burning Man’s 2016 art theme is inspired by the Italian Renaissance of the middle fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, when a historic convergence of inspired artistry, technical innovation and enlightened patronage launched Europe out of medievalism and into modernity. Inspiration for Burning Man centers on Florence, a city-state of about the same size and population as Black Rock City, according to the Burning Man website. This year's festival attempts to recreate this social alchemy by combining Burning Man art, maker culture and creative philanthropy to make Black Rock City the epicenter of a new renaissance.
To see the full list of installations for the 2016 Burning Man Festival, click here. To watch the festival via live stream, click here.
For a historic look at some of the art installations that have risen for the Burning Man Festivals, consider Canadian writer and photographer NK Guy's book The Art of Burning Man,” published last year by TASCHEN. The book captures scenes from the Burning Festival every year from 1998 to 2014. Click here to discover more.
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EDITOR'S NOTE, AUGUST 31, 2016: The original version stated both of Kimpton's new sculptures would travel to Miami after Burning Man Festival. The story was corrected to reflect only Magic will move to Miami after the festival.
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